


The Things We Lost In The Fire

by nothingwithoutyouxo



Series: The Sky Is Falling Down [1]
Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Apocalypse, F/M, M/M, Slight future!fic, Sorry Not Sorry, this is really just fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-08
Updated: 2014-03-08
Packaged: 2018-01-15 00:31:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1284505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nothingwithoutyouxo/pseuds/nothingwithoutyouxo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post Apocalypse AU. No one really expects the end of the world to happen, everyone think it’s some kind of joke. The Gallaghers are no exception, they just learn to adjust to the situation they find themselves in and continue to survive.<br/>Or, that time the world ended and Ian and Mickey didn’t see each other for three years until they meet again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Things We Lost In The Fire

**Author's Note:**

> So I just had to write this for some reason. I don’t even know why. It’s mainly just fluff and stuff because I suck. The title is a Bastille song. Dedicated to Kerry, who pushed me to write this, bless ya.

No one even remembers how it started. It just seemed to happen. One day everyone was just living their lives, surviving like they always had, and then the next minute people were talking about the end of the world. It was one of those things that just seems to catch on. Someone would find out from a friend and then tell all their friends, who would go and tell all their friends. And it caught on, even though the details changed because no one really knew what the fuck was going on. Ian had heard it from some dork at school who was talking rather loudly to his friends in the back of his AP English class. The kid said he’d heard it on Fox News and Ian straight out laughed because there were actually people who believed the shit they said on Fox News. He’d disregarded the comment completely because he thought it was just some kid messing around. He didn’t know it’d come to this.

He told Lip as they were leaning against the back wall of the school having a smoke. Lip had laughed it off just the same as he did. And Carl was adamant that it was definitely happening when he came home from school. Debbie and Fiona had both rolled their eyes, not even indulging him. Jimmy passed around a few jokes with Kevin when they arrived and Vee just crossed her arms over her chest, standing next to Fiona and ignoring them. So it had become this joke that everyone sort of made. It was a “hey guys, did you hear it’s the end of the world” joke that everyone would laugh at. It was a joke they would pass around from time to time, an excuse they would use. Like that time Carl refused to do his homework because if the world was ending then it wouldn’t really matter, would it? Fiona learned to accept it, she had so much other shit to deal with.

School was a different thing all together. You had different groups of people who would believe and then not believe. There’d be kids so sure that it was happening that they just stopped coming to school, or they came to school just to preach to other kids that the end was nigh. Then you had the groups of people in the middle who kind of ignored it even though they were probably just as scared as everyone else. And then the other extreme, the people that completely disregarded it, the people that snapped at you every time you brought up the subject. It was an interesting situation to be in. Ian always thought that he’d been in that middle group, not completely sure that it was happening but kinda scared that it was. He figured Lip was in that group too, and Debbie and Carl. Pretty much all of his family.

They all kept an eye on the news and for a while the end of the world talk died down. It came back though, of course, with a fighting spirit as if it had never really gone away. Which it probably hadn’t. The thing about people is if you give them something like that to cling to, they won’t let go. It would always be in the back of their minds, this renewed fear that they were going to die. When the talk started up again it started with a vengeance. There weren’t those groups anymore, everyone was pretty sure it was going to happen. This wasn’t another 2012 thing, they were really going to die. And even Ian was starting to believe it. He found himself planning what to do with his last hours, and then he was confused because why was he believing this? He didn’t even know what the fuck was going on anymore. So he did what he did every time he felt completely lost to the world, he went and saw Mickey.

Mickey was one of those people that had completely disregard the fact that the end of the world was coming. He’d laughed at it and Ian knew that even now he wouldn’t believe it was happening. So he could help him clear his head. In the back the of his mind somewhere, Ian had decided what seemed to be a long time ago, that if he was going to die, he wasn’t going to go without seeing Mickey again. Even if somehow the world blew up as he was walking away from his house, he needed to see Mickey again.  Mickey was the picture of ease when Ian got the Milkovich house. He was standing on the porch smoking and looking completely calm with everything. Part of Ian thought he was crazy. He smirked at him when Ian came to stand next to him.

“Come to share a last goodbye, Gallagher?” he sucked on his smoke.

“Do you really think we’re all gonna die?” Ian couldn’t help himself but ask.

“Nah. This comes around every few years, you’ve seen it”.

“But it’s never been like this before, I don’t even know what to think anymore” he admitted.

Mickey looked over at him for a minute and Ian could swear that he saw the spark of something in the boy’s eyes. “You’re a piece of work, Gallagher” he said finally.

“Everything’s kinda fucked up” Ian shrugged in response.

“It’s always fucked up” Mickey replied.

“Yeah” Ian laughed.

They stood there for a minute, the two of them, staring out at the street they’d known their entire lives. Some guy across the road had decided to literally burn everything he owned in his front yard. There was no way that could turn out well.

“It’s gonna be fine” Mickey broke the silence, looking over at Ian. “Just relax”. And those were the last words that Ian had heard Mickey say, and the last thing Ian had felt was Mickey’s hand on his shoulder before he walked back inside. And he was pretty sure that a part of him had died then, but he never really knew. He didn’t even know if Mickey was still alive at this point. He figured he was still out there somewhere. It’s not like anyone could successfully kill him. And that’s what kept Ian going, that tiny hope that somewhere, somehow they would find each other again.

……………………..

Things changed probably about three days after Ian went to see Mickey. He didn’t even remember how they did. Everything was sort of a blur for those first few months. He remembers seeing fire, lots of it. He remembers hearing screaming. He remembers Fiona being the amazing clear headed person that she was and getting them all out. He doesn’t remember when Kevin and Vee decided to split off from them. He remembers Debbie frantically running to that guy’s house, the one she’d dated and not finding him. He remembers how Debbie changed after they found him dead. The name Matt rings a bell in his head so figured that was the guy’s name. He remembers leaving Frank, they all decided that he’d probably slow them down anyway. He was sort of dying and they didn’t need that. He remembers Fiona crying a little at the thought, Jimmy holding her close. He doesn’t remember when they found a stash of guns, only that they never went anywhere without them now. He doesn’t remember how the hell Fiona managed to raise a baby in the situation they were in. He only remembers that this isn’t what she wanted for Liam. That it wasn’t what he wanted either, for any of them. He doesn’t remember why he didn’t go and find Mickey again, he thinks it’s because of the chaos and something that Lip said. Somehow Lip had stopped him, even though he’d wanted to go as well and get Mandy. They had to stay together, the seven of them. Amidst all that chaos they’d still stayed together. He remembers Debbie crying consistently for the first few weeks, remembers Fiona and Jimmy taking turns in holding her. He doesn’t remember when his little sister got so strong minded, or when Carl got so strategic. Or when Liam grew up. He remembers the sound of Mickey’s voice saying “it’s gonna be fine” remembers the feeling of his hand on Ian’s shoulder which was then replaced with Lip’s keeping him steady. He remembers switching into ROTC training mode, soldier mode. And he doesn’t remember if he’s ever switched that off.

Every couple of weeks after that someone who have a nightmare and wake up screaming, waking everyone else up. They’d all take their turn consoling the person, telling them that everything was going to be ok, even though they had no idea if it was. They could all literally die at any second but they had each other to keep themselves sane. Ian was pretty sure he’d seen Mickey die more than once in those dreams, Mandy as well. And he could tell by the knowing look in Lip’s eyes that he knew. He remembers being on watch with Fiona one night and telling her everything while everyone else was asleep. He remembers telling her that he loved Mickey, and he remembers the way she cried when she hugged him that night.

…………………..

Three years had passed since the apparent end of the world. Three years and the Gallaghers were still around. There was some sick joke in their somewhere that Ian couldn’t really put his finger on. The Gallaghers had been fighters, but only starting with Fiona. Everyone else in their family was just a waste of space. They still had Jimmy and Lip reckons that sometimes he’s the only thing that keeps Fiona sane. He’s also the person that she spends the most time yelling at but that’s probably because they love each other so much. They all know that they wouldn’t leave one another, they needed each other too much. So they stayed together as a family.

Occasionally they would run into other groups of people, groups of people that had somehow managed to stay alive like they had. Those people were never Kevin and Vee and they often wondered where the hell they’d ended up. They were all sure they were alive though, pretty sure at least. Most of the time they weren’t people that they knew, not people that were from Chicago but from other places. They’d run into a group of kids from New York once, you could tell that they’d been art students at one point but now they were all in the same boat. They ran into Jimmy’s dad once. There had been an awkward tension between them all. Jimmy had never been really fond of his dad and Ian was staying the hell away from him because he was giving him this look that his brain considered creepy. He’d seen the look that Lip had thrown him more than once and when they were on watch Ian assured his brother that there was no way in hell that he was going down that road again. He thinks Lip might have been proud of him. So they went their separate ways again.

They’d all gotten used to each other in ways that only a family could. Sometimes they drove each other insane and it wasn’t unlikely that someone would end up screaming at someone else before storming away to cool off. They always left the person alone for a while. If they were going to keep what was left of their sanity they were going to need some time to themselves every once in a while. Mostly they just loved each other and were there for each other, especially if those stupid nightmares returned. Which they did every few months or so. It was the worst when Liam got them because he would never tell anyone what was wrong and none of them knew what he saw during those nights. They had a pretty good idea of what everyone else saw though. And they all had to do with their own deaths for the most part. Fiona and Jimmy saw the death of their family and each other, Lip saw Mandy’s death and sometimes even Karen’s, Debbie saw everyone die slowly leaving her alone, Carl accidently blew everyone up and Ian often saw Mickey die but he’d say it was just his family. And sometimes it was. But no one knew what Liam saw and that worried all of them. They sort of hoped it was just like the rest of them but they never really wanted a six year old to see his family die over and over again.

They survived though, the seven of them. They’d become some kind of unit that worked. The only way that Ian could really describe it was like an army unit but he’d never been comfortable describing it like that. He’d never liked the idea as his family in the army, as such. That was something he’d always wanted to do. And with what he’d seen in the last three years he’d often questioned why he’d even considered that. At the time it had seemed like the best option available to him. Now, not so much.

……………………..

They’d found a group of people a few weeks back who helped them catch up on what was happening. Basically, from what they knew, the government had done their best to take control of the situation. And obviously they had failed. The country was now run by this militia group that were killing everyone who didn’t co-operate. They had troops who patrolled now which was why they had to keep an extra eye out. And that was why Ian and Lip usually went out first, to make sure the coast was clear. Sometimes Carl would insist on going out and they really couldn’t deny him anymore, he was almost sixteen and he was just as a good a shot as both of them if they needed it, so Jimmy would usually take hum just to switch it up a bit. Jimmy was kinda surprising actually, you’d think a spoilt rich kid wouldn’t be able to shoot but he could and he could take down anyone. They never really knew where he learnt how to do that, but they almost feel sorry for everyone who encountered him. Debbie could shoot pretty well but she always insisted to staying with Fiona and Liam, she’d always been more of a pacifist at times. More of a healer than a fighter but she’d proven to amazing at both.

Ian and Lip were on watch one day. They were both moving forward slowly, hand at their belts in case they needed their guns, and looking to see if there was anyone ahead of them that could cause a threat. When they heard a noise ahead of them they both pulled out there guns quicker than should be possible. They looked across as each other and Lip nodded, indicating that Ian should move forward. Ian turned around and saw that the rest of the group weren’t that far behind them, he indicated for them to hide somewhere, and they obliged.

Ian moved forward slowly, knowing that Lip would have his back if he needed and that Jimmy and Carl and would have Lip’s. It always worked like that, they always had each other’s back and he always went in knowing that he was well protected. He was aware of the muttering of voices ahead of him but he didn’t register what they sounded like or what they were saying, just that they were a potential threat. He’s aware that he called something to them, a warning that if they made the wrong move they were dead. The two people that emerged shocked Ian to the core and he was pretty sure he stopped breathing.

He’s aware that his gun found its way back into his belt. And he’s very aware that Mickey is standing in front of him. Neither of them moved, even when Mandy squealed “Lip!” and ran into his arms. Ian considers it, considers just hugging Mickey but he knows that Mickey would probably prefer that he didn’t. He takes a breath for what seems like the first time in a long time and he just moves. And he doesn’t even care if Mickey’s gonna push him away because it’s been three years and he just _needs_ it.

Ian wraps his arms around Mickey and pulls him close, really close and he thinks that he might be shaking and he’s probably crying but doesn’t care. All that matters is that Mickey hugs him back.

“Hey… hey, Ian, it’s ok. I got you”.

And if Ian wasn’t crying already he was now because he’s never heard Mickey call him by his first name. Ian pulls away suddenly and just _looks_ at him. And how the hell has Mickey not changed in three years? How does he not look any different when Ian has been through hell? He’s aware that the first thing he says to Mickey is,

“Just relax”.

And he’s pretty sure the laugh that he receives in return is the closest thing that he’s ever going to hear to Mickey crying.

“I thought… um… I thought that everything was going to be fine” Mickey muttered. And Ian’s aware that his hands flinches, as if he was going to wipe away the tears from Ian’s cheeks.

“I thought so too” Ian admits. And then he’s aware of voices behind him and he realizes that his family’s still there. He turns around to see Mandy hugging Debbie, tears running down both their cheeks. And he realizes that Mandy hasn’t changed either, not really. She’s gotta be twenty now, like he is, but she still looks the same. For some reason only his family’s aged.

He’s aware of Mandy’s smile as she turns around and sees him. He’s aware of the way that she runs at him and the fact that he catches her in a hug. He’s aware that she says his name and he replies something along the lines of “hey”. Then he thinks he almost blacks out for a minute because the next thing he’s aware of is Mickey’s hand on his shoulder and his lips at his ear saying,

“Hang in there, Gallagher”.

Mandy pulls away and Ian realizes that he missed her smile more than most things. “So what the hell happened to you?” she asks.

……………….

Luckily for them it was already getting dark, so it doesn’t take much to find some fire wood and start up a campfire. Usually they’d be a little more careful but they knew this area and if they encountered any militia, then they would be up for one hell of a fight. They all sit around the campfire. Jimmy’s arm around Fiona and Lip’s around Mandy’s waist. Liam’s almost fallen asleep and is curled up between Fiona and Debbie. They’re all passing stories back and forth, how they survived Chicago, what they’ve been doing since and who they’ve encountered. What they knew of the situation that the country’s in and if they think anything will ever get back to normal. Mandy says she’d seen Kevin and Vee about two months back, says they’re both fine and that they have two kids now. Fiona smiles at that, tears forming in her eyes and they all wonder if they’ll see them again. Ian hopes that they will.

Ian and Mickey are sitting next to each other, close enough that their hands are almost touching between them. Ian can feel Mickey’s thumb brush against his hand every few minutes, as if he’s checking if Ian’s still there. He tries to envy the other two couples curled up against each other but he thinks that this is enough. He doesn’t know if Mickey realizes that everyone knows about them, but he’s definitely not going to bring it up.

It takes a few hours for most people to settle down. Debbie ends up falling asleep against Carl’s shoulder who manages to lie her down comfortably enough without waking her up before falling asleep next to her. Fiona and Jimmy end up sleep in each other’s arms like they always do. And Lip and Mandy go off to do something that Ian would rather not think about. Honestly he’s shocked it took them so long. So it ends up just him and Mickey sitting next to each other as the fire’s dying.

“I missed you” Mickey says, breaking the silence between.

“Yeah?” Ian muttered.

“Yeah”.

“I missed you too”.

Mickey smirks, “I know. I could tell when you were crying all over me”.

“Sorry”.

“Eh, it’s nothing”.

Ian looks over at Mickey and they just smile at each other for a few minutes.

“Yeah know” Ian starts “I’ve wanted to kiss you since I saw you”.

“Yeah, why haven’t you”.

Ian shrugged, “didn’t think you’d want me to”.

“It’s been three years, Ian”.

And Ian feels a chill go up his spine because that’s the second time Mickey’s called him by his first name that day.

Mickey smirks and closes the space between them, grabbing Ian’s face and pressing their lips together. Ian thinks that he might have actually whimpered because then Mickey’s laughing and pulling away. He grabs Mickey’s shirt so he can’t go too far.

“You’re staying with me now” Ian doesn’t break eye contact.

“Yeah, alright” Mickey smirks as Ian closes that space again.

……………………….

**Author's Note:**

> So this was actually supposed to be long, deep and chaptered but then it turned into this. Which is just fluff and feels and if you listen close enough you can hear me crying. I’m sorry. Also, people were probably out of character (mainly Mickey but I dunno) so I’m sorry for that too. But yeah, thanks for reading and such. Oh, and Jimmy was in this solely for the fact that I miss his relationship with Fiona. Maybe I’ll figure out that chaptered version one day.  
> Comments, kudos etc. are much appreciated 


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